On July 12, 2014, the British auction house Bonhams will hold its first auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Two vehicles that have now been announced will more than live up to the occasion.
Paris Mercedes Benz 540K Cabriolet from 1936
Only ten super-expensive Mercedes Benz 540K Cabriolet with the more powerful engine but the traditional body with two spare wheels at the rear are said to have been built. One was ordered on June 3, 1936 and was purchased in October of the same year by the owner of the well-known nightclub "La Roulotte", where guitarist Django Reinhardt and singer Edit Piaf, among others, also performed.
Chassis 130946 never changed hands until 2007. A complete restoration restored the car to its former glory and now the car, which has never left France, can be bought at auction for between 1.8 and 2.4 million euros.
99-year-old very special pre-war Mercedes
Even older than the 540K is the Mercedes 22/50 HP from 1915, which was once built for the richest man in Sweden, who was also a business partner of Alfred Nobel, among others.
The Mercedes was built to meet the special requirements of use on the country estate in Belgium, where the first owner apparently indulged in hunting and shooting games. For this reason, the Mercedes was given a wider track, greater ground clearance, an electric starter and many other modifications.
Due to the First World War, however, the car was never delivered, but was requisitioned for use in the army, painted gray and thus served General August von Mackensen as an operational vehicle. The customer from Sweden ordered again and requested delivery immediately after the war. After a complete overhaul (and probably also a repainting), the 22/50 HP was finally delivered to Sweden in April 1919, where it remained in the same ownership until 1970.
The second owner then restored the car very carefully and it is now up for sale at the Mercedes Museum on July 12, 2014 for an estimated price of 650,000 to 750,000 euros, including extensive documentation, which also includes the original driver's cap.
More information about the Bonhams auction at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart can be found on the Bonhams website.
